In my opinion, a .22 is fine with iron sights. They are effective for 100 yards and in and iron sights are quicker for target acquisition. The new holographic red dots sights are good but if your rough with the rifle, it will break or knocked out of alignment.

GM1

2 is one and 1 is none. nothing wrong with having a scope, as long as you have back up iron sights.

but yeah, for a 22, no scope is probably fine if you are just going to be popping birds or rabbits from 30 feet away

Well, You guys know I don't usually chime in on the gun chatter. For me a gun is just a tool like power drill and I got really disillusioned with "preppers" fascinated with all things death dealing but refusing to store food or grow a garden.
First off, I think your 22 rifle is your number one go to choice so good on ya. I had a recent experience of having to save one of my chickens from a predator. the chicken only lost an eye but survived. Mrs C5 was impressed I took the offender down with one shot but I never told her, I passed on three shots because I couldn't guarantee where the bullet would land. I couldn't have made those quick decisions with a scope. Now, gun opinions are like a#$ holes. Everyone has one. My A hole opinion is that you should probably save the scope for a larger bore deer rifle where you have some time to make the shot. I'll share an embarrassing story where I was damned and determined to have a quick acquisition laser dot scope. It was way cool. I accidentally left it on and the battery died. No biggy but it was suddenly 100% useless. Ild had personal misgivings before because it was one more thing to turn on when I might need it to work on stressful demand.....but I eventually took it off and it now sits in a drawer as a useless "prep" that I hope to trade to some more gullible tacticool guy. A couple weeks food storage gone. Lesson learned. For the prepper, simple is better. There is no resupply train coming. That's not really a satisfactory answer, to me, to give because different jobs demand different tools. There is no one gun, just like there is no one tool. Any mechanic would cringe at what I do with vice grips which is my go to tool but I fully realise I rune any bolt I touch.

My eyes aren't what they used to be and most all my guns do have optics of some sort except my deer rifle for short range. It's a lever 30-30 and in low light I find the irons best.
Sights that require batteries are a failure point but the batteries usually last a long time- but carry a spare. Low cost scopes in general are made much better than they used to be and don't fail nearly as often - on a small bore gun anyway.
By low cost I mean $150 or more. If you pay $50 for a scope what do you expect? A decent pair of binocs are $100.

If you scope it, do it right. Get a halfway decent scope and rings and mount as low as you can. Don't try to mount the scope so high you can see the irons as well. If you need a cheek riser to get a solid cheek weld on the stock - do it but if you stay with a smaller diameter scope you can usually make it work.

IMHO your best bet is getting a Ruger 10/22 with iron sights (carbine). Then get a simple inexpensive bushnell rimfire scope 3x9x32 and that way if your scope breaks, you have iron sights for back up. Just be sure the irons are sighted in before you mount your scope, so all you need to do is take off your scope quickly and flip up the rear sight and your good to go.....You could also get see-thru scope rings, so your scope will sit a little higher, but then your iron sights are visible and can be used without removing the scope....Another option is to get a type of knock off acog scope that has iron sights built into the top of the actual scope. I think bushnell might even make a 1 or 2 X's red dot with iron sights built into the top. Theres alot of options if you get a knock off acog scope...or if you can afford a thousand dollars you can get the real acog, but on a low or no recoiling .22lr a knock off cheap scope should hold up okay.

If you want 3 options of aiming, you could get a ruger 10/22 carbine with sights, mount a scope thats easily removed quickly if it breaks or get see-thru rings, then buy a inexpensive laser or laser/light that either attaches tobthe scope, stock, or barrel...Then you have a scope, then a laser if the scope fails(also a good way to peacefully get criminals to take off running after they see a red dot on their chest or buddies forehead), then if those two fail, you thirdly have your iron sights(just be sure they are sighted in before you need them and not when you need them)....I used to have this exact set up, and was accurate, light, small,

BTW...The ruger 10/22 set up with scope, laser/light, and iron sights is also a cheap option, but a good one...Cheap bushnell scope is around $80 (including rings I think), maybe $25 for see-thru rings if you go that route. Laser/Light combo is about $40 if you buy a cheap barska, which is fine on a low recoiling .22lr...Then a used ruger 10/22 might be around $200-$250 or between $250-$350 new, depending on the model(camo, stainless, synthetic, hardwood, walnut, etc,)...You could also buy a ruger 10/22 synthetic carbine withe built in laserbstock (lasermax)...So all said and done, you are looking at between $300-$500 total price...plus butler creek 25 round steel lips magazines for $30 is a great magazine to send lots of lead fast, and make a group of dangerous attackers running & diving for cover & on the defence....When dirt is being kicked up at their feet, or the sound of a gun firing 25 rounds, anyone will take cover and be scared of being shot, no matter if they are being shot at from a .22lr, .223, or .308...any caliber small, medium, or large will send people running...nobody will be a rambo and keep charging because they do not fear the .22lr...It wont stop people fast like a larger centerfire caliber, but it will still keep anyone on the receiving end scared & running for cover because a .22lr in the head or vitals will kill a person, and if shtf and no doctor can treat you, then a .22lr to any part of the body will be life threatening...a 25 round magazine loaded with CCI Stinger 32gr bullets @ 1640 fps is no joke to be on the receiving end of...at 100 yards away, a CCI stinger will shoot through a 10" thick turkey wrapped in clothing & a denim jacket...Thats 10" of flesh fully clothed, with a .220 diameter hole in & out, or a hollow point .22lr will break apart in flesh and really ruin a bad guys day if shtf and he cant get operated on asap.

BTW...The ruger 10/22 set up with scope, laser/light, and iron sights is also a cheap option, but a good one...Cheap bushnell scope is around $80 (including rings I think), maybe $25 for see-thru rings if you go that route. Laser/Light combo is about $40 if you buy a cheap barska, which is fine on a low recoiling .22lr...Then a used ruger 10/22 might be around $200-$250 or between $250-$350 new, depending on the model(camo, stainless, synthetic, hardwood, walnut, etc,)...You could also buy a ruger 10/22 synthetic carbine withe built in laserbstock (lasermax)...So all said and done, you are looking at between $300-$500 total price...plus butler creek 25 round steel lips magazines for $30 is a great magazine to send lots of lead fast, and make a group of dangerous attackers running & diving for cover & on the defence....When dirt is being kicked up at their feet, or the sound of a gun firing 25 rounds, anyone will take cover and be scared of being shot, no matter if they are being shot at from a .22lr, .223, or .308...any caliber small, medium, or large will send people running...nobody will be a rambo and keep charging because they do not fear the .22lr...It wont stop people fast like a larger centerfire caliber, but it will still keep anyone on the receiving end scared & running for cover because a .22lr in the head or vitals will kill a person, and if shtf and no doctor can treat you, then a .22lr to any part of the body will be life threatening...a 25 round magazine loaded with CCI Stinger 32gr bullets @ 1640 fps is no joke to be on the receiving end of...at 100 yards away, a CCI stinger will shoot through a 10" thick turkey wrapped in clothing & a denim jacket...Thats 10" of flesh fully clothed, with a .220 diameter hole in & out, or a hollow point .22lr will break apart in flesh and really ruin a bad guys day if shtf and he cant get operated on asap.

I have got disagree with you on this one. Standard Infantry drill when contact is made is to fire two shots as IA, hit the ground/take cover and move two meters laterally. Get taught by guys who have been on both ends of the stick.

However, I will not volunteer to stand in front of any round.

thanks for all the good advise.

i like both iron sights just in case a power failure. Decent scope for bad eye sight , small targets. even if you can't use the iron sights with the scope on, you could remove the scope if it fails to make use of the iron sights.